


The Song of Dawn

by angelcult



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Canon-Typical Violence, Drug Use, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Gang Violence, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Post Garden of Light, Reincarnation, Spoilers, Yakuza
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-21 17:55:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18145502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelcult/pseuds/angelcult
Summary: In 1985, Shorter Wong died from a bullet straight through the heart.In 1986, Aslan Jade Callenreese died from a stab wound, bleeding out in a library.In 2004, Okumura Eiji died in his sleep from causes that were unknown.Years later, Dawn Aurelius is born and his life is beautiful until the sudden death of his mother. He meets two boys, each hold a piece of his soul as he spirals into a world made of drugs, violence and a string of mysteries that lead to a drug named Banana Fish.





	The Song of Dawn

       What becomes of the soul after we die? Does it dissipate into nothingness or is it recycled in a pattern of endless lives, never to know death truly, and to, in a way, live forever?

No one knows for certain, there’s no way to tell, it’s impossible to count that lives one soul has lived, to measure how good or bad of a person they were.

Only that they once were many people.

Isn’t that the most precious gift of all?

-

“There’s a fish, see, Dawn?”

The woman pointed to the pond full of koi, the large fish swimming gracefully through the water. If there was anything that Jackie Aurelius loved more than nature, it was her son. Dawn was a small child, cheeks red and round with his youth, full of wonder and very rarely sadness.

“Banana?” The three year old asked, pointed to the koi. He walked towards the fish and went to stick his hand in the water when Jackie quickly swept him up into her arms and kissed his cheek. “Not a banana, sweetie, say fish.”

“Phish.”

“Close enough.” Jackie cradled him in her arms and carried him out of the park. They were going home now, back to their two-bedroom apartment. Jackie didn’t mind raising Dawn on her own, he wasn’t very fussy, he was independent enough, for a three year old.

As far as she was concerned, he was still a baby, in desperate need of love and coddling from his mother.

Dawn pointed over her shoulder to the koi pond, green eyes sparkling excitedly. “Banana phish?” He asked with furrowed brows, a pout on his lips.

“Sure, honey. Banana fish.”

-

At the age of ten, Dawn could do most things on his own. Make cereal, coffee and use the microwave. He’d had some trouble earlier on with his speech, a lisp that still made itself known when he got worked up and on words that he felt were too hard to pronounce (viscous was hard enough to say, but with a lisp? He was practically spitting every time he uttered the word) but none of that mattered, not when he had his mother.

He was home a lot, especially after he left school and his mother was still at work but he didn’t mind. He had picked up a while ago that his mother had to work a lot to keep them afloat, to the pay the ever changing rent of their apartment, put clothes on their back and so much more.

He was alone when there was a knock on the door. Dawn knew well enough not to open it, they didn’t live on the best part of town. Walking towards the door, he quietly dragged the step stool over and climbed the three stairs to peer through the peephole. A man and a woman in uniform were there, he could see their badges and their grim expressions. The boy went cold, hopping down just as they began knocking again, quickly unbolting the door and swinging it open.

The officers stared down at the ten year old with a startled look, eyes darting around the apartment. “Is your father here?” Dawn shook his head, speaking slowly. “I don’t have a father. Where’s momma?” He glanced behind him, only to see the other officer, her gaze pitying. Dawn took a small step back and swallowed slowly. “Where is she?”

“Come with me, young man-“ The officer reached towards Dawn but he took another step back, looking behind himself once more.

Dawn was a lot of things, but he wasn’t an idiot. He knew that he’d probably never see his mother and it ripped into him, made his vision blur and he felt almost numb to the pain, it hurt so much.

“Son, I’m sorry..” Dawn didn’t move the time when the officer grabbed his shoulder and picked Dawn up. He wanted to him him, to prove he wasn’t so incapacitated by his sobbing but, he knew his legs wouldn’t carry him.

-

“No family.. He’s an orphan. His father isn’t even in the States, there’s no telling if he’s alive or not. We need to find a family to take him or we’ll have to send him to a boy’s home.”

Dawn listened numbly to them as they spoke. They’d dumped him into a chair at the hospital and he was curled up, legs drawn to his chest as he listened.

If he closed his eyes, he could see his mother. He could picture her bouncing blond curls and her brown eyes, that always watched him with a tender love in them.

If he opened them, he’d see the cold, crowded police station and his world would come crashing down, and he would hurt more than he’d ever hurt before.

“Well.. There is some room at Miss Danielle’s place, I just got off the phone with her. She’s more than willing to take him.” Dawn perked up a little as he heard this and his eyes settled on the ground in front of him, the linoleum glittered too brightly under the artificial lights, it hurt his eyes.

“Dawn?”

The boy looked up slowly at the social security worker, her long black hair was pulled up in a tight bun, her dark eyes full of a gentle softness. She had been told to be careful with him, he’d completely shut down after crying for an hour, no emotion, a completely blank slate. What else did they expect to come of hearing that your mother was dead?

It wasn’t easy.

“My name is Laura, and I want you to come with me. I’m gonna drop you off at a woman named Miss Danielle’s house, okay?” She watched as Dawn stood up slowly, gripping his jacket tight around himself. It was too big, a varsity jacket with patches stitched on. It must’ve belonged to his mother.

“Okay.”

The drive was quiet, with Dawn reluctant to answer any questions, choosing to give one-word answers. They pulled up to a two story house soon enough, in a quiet cul-de-sac. It had a deep blue exterior and white trim. There was a rose garden out in the front of a fenced off backyard that could be partially seen from the driveway.

“Miss Danielle is very nice, she’s a really sweet lady. She has a son of her own and another foster son.” She grabbed the mandated duffle bag that was full of clothes and other things as they climbed out of the car, Dawn as quiet as a mouse.

His silence was almost unnerving.

They walked up the driveway and down the short sidewalk to the wide porch. A wind chime hung, tinkling lightly in the breeze. It didn’t take long for Laura to get a response when she knocked on the door, and a woman answered. She had short, red hair and wide, blue eyes. Her nose was littered with freckles and what looked like flour. She smiled down at them and beckoned them inside. “Excuse the mess, Artie and I are working on his science fair project.” She explained, waving to the half-built volcano on the coffee table.

There was a warmth about this place, it felt homey and full of love, like fresh baked cookies and warmed milk.

But Dawn hated cookies, and he was lactose intolerant, and most of all, he wanted to relish the cold.

He didn’t want to ever fall under the pretense of warmth again.


End file.
